Which 5 Patriots players have had the best training camp?

4. Maurice Harris

As NESN’s Doug Kyed reported, Maurice Harris left Wednesday’s joint practice with the Titans after suffering an undisclosed injury. He then missed Thursday’s joint practice as well, which doesn’t necessarily look good on paper… though the team could just be playing it safe with him given the fragile state of the receiver depth chart right now.

Regardless, Harris has all but assured himself a spot on the Pats’ final 53-man roster after a sublime training camp. Here’s what SB Nation’s Bernd Buchmasser had to say about Harris’ development in the Patriots’ pass-catching corps this summer:

"“After already being a standout performer during organized team activities and minicamp, Harris continued to shine early on in training camp: he proved himself a capable receiving weapon no matter where he lined up, and quickly built chemistry with quarterback Tom Brady. His success continued into preseason, as he caught 3 passes for 27 yards and a touchdown during the Patriots’ first (Brady-less) exhibition contest.”"

Indeed, Harris did have the honor of scoring New England’s first touchdown since Sony Michel’s two-yard scoring dive in Super Bowl 53. No. 2 quarterback Brian Hoyer fired a 14-yard strike to Harris in the first quarter of the Patriots’ victory over the Lions that ultimately opened up the floodgates for plenty of scoring (by New England, not Detroit).

Especially with Josh Gordon’s status for the regular season still up in the air, it’s critical that Tom Brady and the offense have some big-bodied weapons on the field who can outmuscle defenders and make tough catches in traffic. Edelman, Braxton Berrios, and Jakobi Meyers are all great route-runners (at least with what we’ve seen so far from Berrios and Meyers), but none of them have the size and strength that a Rob Gronkowski or a Josh Gordon would possess.

Maurice Harris fits that bill much, much better.